Omaha daily bee., 1887-08-28
SHAKESPEARE WASA VILLAIN
Among Other Things Roue' Adulterer,
Usurer, Liar and Forger.:
KILLED By A THREE DAYS SPREE
A Sensational Attack on tho Repute ted
Bard of Avon by lgnatius
Donnelly and Prof
Thomas Davidson.
Who win Care For BILLY Now?

New YORK, August 27.-The World to-
morrow will contain a very elaborate exposi-
ton of lgnatius Donnelly's attempt to de-
throne Shakespeare, and award the honor Of
the authorship of the so-called "Shakespea
plays to Lord Bacon. The article is written
by Prof. Thomas Davidson, well known
scholar, philosopher and critic, whose opin-
ion as to Donnelly's work cannot fail to
carry great weight. Before examining Don.
nely's work, Mr.,Davidson was an entire
skeptic In regard to the Bacon theory, but he
now admits he Is very much
shaken in his belief that the plays
were written by Shakespeare, and
declared If they had come down to us with
out any authors name attached they would
have been unhestatingly attributed to Bacon.
lie says he reached this conviction altogether
apart from the cipher. The articles give a
brief summary of the results reached in Mr..
Donnelly's book. The book is divided into
two parts, an argument and demonstra-
tion. The former collects, arranges and sums
up all the arguments that have been put
forward in the last thirty years IN favor OF
the Baconian theory and adds large num-
Der to them. The author first endeavors to
show that the education and character of
William Shakespeare were such that it
could have written plays which are distilled
from all the wisdom and learning of the
world. He shows that his education must
have been extremely meagre, while that of
the author of the plays was broad and deep.
He emphasizes the fact that we have no
record of any study on the part of Shake
speare. His account of Snakespeare's char
acter will certainly be surprise to most
readers. He shows him to have been stepped
in almost every kind of vice, to have been a
fOrnlcator, an adulterer, a usurer and Op-
pressOr of the poor, drunkard, a systematic
liar, and forger OF pedigrees. dying
in the prime of life from the results lhot of
that we have no record that Shakespeare
ever owned library, or even book, aud
not single scrap of manuscript OF his has
ever come down to us; uot even letter to
any of the numerous men with whom he is
known to have been acquainted Nay, more,
that there Is extant no letter addressed to him
except one asking for loan OF money. There
is nothing to show that Shakespeare was not
next proves very clearly that while
the author of the plays was an accom-
plished lawyer, there is nothing to show
that Shakespeare ever opened a law book OF
was inside lawyers office except ON usur-
ious business.
Having demonstrated to his own satisfac-
ton that the author of the plays was not
Shakespeare, Mr.. Donnely next proceeds to
evidence to show that Bacon was poet, and
| the authors of the plays, a profound and
learned philosopher, he treats of the geOgra-
ply of the play. Ana here
he brings out some mos
| telI-tale facts. While neither Stratford
| where Shakespeare was BORN nor Avon h
ever once mentioned in the plays, st. Albans
the home OF Bacon, is, mentioned twenty
| three times. He next shows that The politics
l and religion of the writer of the plays arr
identical with BacOn's politics and religion
and that what Bacon declared to be his great
| life purpose is fully eXemplited in the plays
| A chapter is devoted to Bacon's reasons
for concealment, and here comes out some
startling facts 1t appears not only that
Bacon wrote works which he never publicl!
acknowlcd ged, but that he is addressed b!
one of his friends as the greatest wit in Eng
| land, though not known as such by his owl
name. Among the reasons for c0ncealment
Donnely puts the political tendency of SOM
Of the plays which was to encourage treason
After the argument making the authorship
OF Bacon probable, comes the demonstration
that is, the cipher narrative, which has al
ready aroused so much public interest.